For all of my friends and
family that wonder what I do on my trips, I work for Johns Hopkins
University
(JHU), which is a vast enterprise with
many subdivisions. I am a researcher at one of these, named the Applied
Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL). This
year's trips revolved around oceanic experiments being performed by the
lab in support of the US Navy. My part of it is described here.
I designed and built some special data acquisition equipment
and am one of the three people from APL that flies in the P-3 aircraft.
We do not pilot the aircraft; we ride in them and operate equipment. However,
if there's a nice commander aboard, we may get a little stick time. The
total crew is usually about 15.

My job is an eclectic one,
and this flight activity only represents about 5-10 percent of my time.
I also build medical imaging/communication devices and remote sensing
systems. Those things don't require international travel, and consequently
don't provide me with as much photographic or story material.

If you've read this far and
really, really want to know more about what I do, look here.